Enemies and Allies Alike
by LunarCat713
Summary: When Ethan and his team get pulled due to an investigation of treason, the team must fight against not only their enemy but their own agency to survive their latest dillema.
1. Chapter 1

I don't believe I'm very good at action scenes or explaining plans/plots, so I apologize in advance if something if confusing or doesn't flow well. I actually put a lot of consideration into the facts of my stories- sometimes I get too peculiar with them- and for this one I had a map and calendar of events for reference, so hopefully that flows well enough.

This is four chapters long and will be updated once a week.

* * *

The two men stood mere yards apart, each with their gun trained dead center on the other.

"Put down your gun, Brandt…" Ethan said firmly but carefully without lowering his.

Brandt frowned at him but chuckled in dark humor. "Why, so you can shoot me?"

Ethan shook his head slowly but didn't promise that he wouldn't shoot. Ethan eyed Brandt, hoping to see that familiar trust, but all he saw was a desperate man on defensive. And, unfortunately, he was having flashbacks to a similar scene many years ago when it was revealed his team leader of the time had been a mole.

MISSIONIMPOSSIBLEGHOSTPROTOCOL

_Three days ago-_

Ethan grinned as he watched the kids across the street playing cops and robbers. It was so clichéd, and yet still amusing. His team was in between missions right now, and they were each taking full advantage of that in their own way. Ethan was hanging around Seattle, hoping to glimpse his wife on one of her routes. She had many, at the insistence of Ethan.

He mostly stayed away from her general area as a precaution, but he couldn't stay away completely. Any chance he got- after missions or, like now, in between missions- he would go out of his way to visit the city she now called home. This was, of course, after quadruple checking his back and making sure he wasn't being followed or watched.

His head twitched to the side as a thump came from his right. He spied a person casually walking away, but recognized them as a courier. And sure enough, when he lowered his eyes down to the bench beside him, a plain envelope sat waiting. Barely holding back a growl, Ethan grabbed the seemingly harmless envelope up in an irritated movement, hoping that whoever from the agency was watching. How they always managed to find him…

He discreetly pressed his thumb against the area he knew would be the scanner and popped open the seal when it very quietly beeped. The message was short, but sent a foreboding chill up Ethan's spine.

_Your presence is required immediately. Do not contact any member of your team._

What the hell? Ethan flicked his eyes around without moving his head and spotted the car down the street. It didn't stand out in any way to the general public but Ethan recognized it as his ride back to headquarters- or what he was assuming would be headquarters. Heaving a deep sigh in self pity for a second, Ethan resigned himself to missing his wife and stood. Breaking a tab off the envelope to activate the self destruct, Ethan dropped it in a trash bin and strode lazily down the street as he heard a familiar, muffled whoosh of destruction.

As Ethan approached the car, a man stepped from the front passenger seat and wordlessly opened the door for him. Ethan slid in and looked at the occupant, taking note of the muscular mass that would be sharing the back seat with him. Neither he nor the other two agents explained anything to Ethan, not that he was really expecting them to. The ride was long and extremely quiet; not even the radio was playing.

They drove to the nearest airport which happened to be a small, private strip and the agent he shared the back seat with escorted him onto a small jet. He was hoping there would be further instructions or information on the small plane but there was still nothing to go by so Ethan just had to wait the ride out until he got to headquarters.

Nearly two hours later Ethan was escorted into headquarters by the agent where another agent stripped him of his gun and cell phone, putting him on high alert. But before he could get an explanation, he was ushered into a room.

Ethan frowned when he found himself inside of an interrogation room; now he was just pissed off. He eyed the mirror that he knew was a two-way and silently demanded someone come and explain themselves. Thankfully, the door opened almost right away and a woman stepped in before closing the door behind her.

"Take a seat, Mr. Hunt," she said.

'Mr.', not agent, Ethan noticed. "What the hell is going on?" He wasn't about to waste time on pleasantries.

"Take a seat," the woman ordered, locking eyes with Ethan.

Ethan glared and pulled out one of the three chairs harshly before dropping into it. He looked at her in exasperated expectation.

Sighing in frustration at his display, the agent introduced herself as Maria Delany. "I'm here to question your whereabouts on the night of the tenth this month."

"My whereabouts?" Ethan repeated. Delany nodded without comment. "The tenth- two nights ago?" Another nod. With a sigh, Ethan said, "Packing some bags. My team had just finished a mission four days prior and _was_ looking forward to some downtime." He stressed the 'was' part, still irked that he couldn't stay in Seattle.

"Yes… And your reason for choosing Seattle?"

"Personal reasons." He wasn't about to say he was going to try to catch a glimpse of his supposedly dead wife.

Delany stared at him for a long time. "I'm going to need more of an answer."

"Well I'm afraid you're not getting one." Before she could argue he continued with, "Let's just say that someone's life depends on this secrecy."

Delany's eyes flashed. "In other words a certain woman from your past."

Ethan froze for a second. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Assistant Inspector General of this agency's O.I.G."

"Office of Inspector General… Why, exactly, are you here and why am I talking to you?" He hadn't asked that out of rude defiance, just mere curiosity- with some suspicion.

Delany didn't reply for a while. "You're whole team is under investigation for treason."

A moments silence, then "What?" To any outside observance Ethan was calm, but his mind was racing with questions.

"One moment," Delany said and exited before Ethan could stop her.

After about six minutes Ethan was about to get up and bang on the mirror when the door opened. Delany entered followed by two armed agents who were escorting Jane and Benji.

"Ethan! What the hell is going on?" Jane immediately asked when she saw him.

Benji was nervously eying the agents and their guns but he turned to Ethan hoping for an answer. The three quickly noticed the absence of their newest member, but before Ethan could say anything Delany ordered the other two to sit down as she placed a laptop on the table. Benji and Jane seated themselves in the two remaining chairs by Ethan's side and waited.

Delany fiddled with the laptop before turning it towards them and hit play on the video. The three watched a deserted hallway when eventually a group of armed, masked men entered the screen. Ethan felt his stomach drop when the only unmasked man of the group entered the screen and directed the men about. While the man wasn't facing the camera, Ethan felt a horrible recognition. That didn't prepare him when he saw William Brandt turn around and smirk at the camera before drawing his gun and shooting the camera out.

Jane gasped beside him and Benji stared with his mouth open in disbelief.

"This was recorded from the archives building. Some very important information was taken at gunpoint by this group, led by William Brandt. Two agents were killed in the resulting gun fight with three more wounded," Delany stated coldly and methodically.

"I don't…" Ethan took a deep breath. "It can't be him."

Some sympathy showed in Delany's face as she said, "The video clearly shows his face."

"Masks!" Benji blurted out. When Delany turned her attention onto him he flustered a little. "I mean, it's not _improbable_. Right?"

"That is true. However, Brandt is currently missing. And there is further evidence that it was he who led this attack and robbery; in his apartment were notes of guard shifts and blueprints of the building and archives room."

Ethan shook his head. "Ok, that's… Not to incriminate Brandt here, but he is smarter than that. He wouldn't have left evidence behind. Doesn't that strike you as suspicious? This has to be a set up."

"I understand you want to believe the best in your teammate, Hunt, but there is still further evidence."

Ethan's stomach dropped as he stared. "Which is?"

Delany looked each of them in the eye. "When our people looked into it, we found contacts made from Brandt's _private_ cell phone to unknown persons for the last three months leading up to this event."

"That doesn't prove-" Jane was cut off when Delany held up a hand.

"One of the masked men was shot and their phone dropped. It was traced and matches to one of Brandt's contacts."

None of the three teammates could say anything but sat in shocked silence.

"Until the pending investigation reveals all three of your innocence from this, you are to be removed from any future missions and will be under supervision at all times." All three made to argue until Delany continued right over them, raising her voice just a bit. "The reason the three of you aren't behind bars right now is that the initial investigations have found no incriminating evidence against you, as your alibis check out. Plus your reputations are reputable."

"And Brandt's isn't?!" Ethan jumped out of his chair as he banged a fist on the table. Jane and Benji slowly followed when the armed guards stood in defensive stances, weapons raised slightly.

Delany gave him a cold look. "It was. But the reality is people turn. You'll meet your guards outside with further instructions. Someone from the office will be in touch."

And with that Delany exited with the armed agents, leaving the three in silence.

Benji looked at the other two with a lost expression. "You don't think Will-"

"Not here, Benji…" Ethan mumbled before leading the way outside. Right outside the door were four guards and the director. "Director! Surely you don't think-" he started.

"Hunt!" The director simply shook his head. "The three of you are virtually under house arrest for the time being; these four will escort you to your temporary quarters. This is Marcus Vacher and he will act as your handler." The director looked at each of them and sighed. "I am sorry about this, but it's out of my hands now." The man shook his head sadly before walking away.

"Gentlemen, ma'am." Their handler gestured them forward.

The team shared a look before moving. As they all fell into step, the four guards surrounded them and saw them into an SUV. Vacher took the front passenger seat and two guards took the very back seat leaving the team in the middle seat. Ethan looked around, watching the other two guards and saw that they would be led and followed by separate vehicles.

After a long ride that crossed into the next county, the small convoy pulled onto a side road on the outskirts of the city. The long dirt road revealed a medium, one story house that was made to look more like a cabin than an actual house.

Two more guards were waiting when they pulled up and Vacher had a short talk with them before they left and then he ordered the team inside. One guard entered while the other three stayed outside.

"Let's have a seat, shall we? I'm sure you have questions. As Director Massey stated, I'm Marcus Vacher and I will be your handler. If anything comes up, whether on your end or the agency's, I'm the go-to guy."

Ethan nodded, splitting his attention between their handler and the house. He noticed Jane and Benji scoping the place out as well. It was a house the agency would choose as a safe house, and Ethan wondered if there was a supply and weapon cache here or if they made sure the team wouldn't have access. If they were smart, they would have emptied the house. They would have to test that later.

"What do you know about the theft?" Jane asked suddenly.

Vacher didn't appear surprised or annoyed at the question. "Not a whole lot has been released; the agency is trying to keep it under wraps."

"They don't want word getting out that one of our own supposedly turned, infiltrated our base, and stole valuable information," Ethan guessed. Vacher nodded shortly in agreement.

"I have been instructed to keep you three out of the loop, as I'm sure you've guessed, for the specific reason that your team member is the forefront suspect."

"This is ridiculous…" Ethan muttered.

"Be that as it may, those are my orders. Along with keeping the three of you from any technology that can give you access to I.M.F. or possible communication with Brandt. Your weapons and gadgets have already been removed from your persons and there are none here. Besides what the guards and myself are carrying, in any case," Vacher informed them.

"So we're… prisoners, basically," Benji said.

Vacher sighed. "I do not wish for you to see it that way."

"Well we do," Jane said harshly.

"And I'm sorry for that," Vacher said without much sympathy in his voice. "You two," he pointed to Ethan and Benji, "are in the room down the hall and to the right. Carter, you're in the room across from them. The bathroom is the one on the first left and my room will be across from that, which none of you have access to for any reason whatsoever. Nor are you to leave this house, even if it's to step onto the porch."

"Really? No breath of fresh air for us?" Ethan asked sarcastically.

Vacher didn't dignify that with a response. He just gave Ethan a hard look and nodded to the guard before disappearing into his designated room. The team eyed the guard, who was stationed by the door in the kitchen slash dining room. The man pointedly ignored their scrutiny and Ethan turned to the other two.

"Well… Shall we?" Ethan stood and made his way to the back rooms that would serve as their bedrooms for the time being, noting that Vacher had his door closed. Ethan and Benji entered theirs while Jane glanced into hers before joining the boys.

"So what do we do?" she asked in a low voice.

Ethan dropped onto a bed and rubbed his hands over his face. Looking up, he saw that Jane and Benji were looking at him. "Honestly? I don't know…"

Jane and Benji shared a look before turning back to Ethan. "Really?" Benji asked. "Because you _always_ have a plan."

Ethan looked pointedly at the wall that shared Vacher's own room and the other two nodded their understanding. Aloud, he said, "We're pretty much stuck at the moment- nothing we can do…"

And that really wasn't a lie, Ethan hated to admit. They were cornered with nothing. In the silence he heard a familiar noise and automatically looked at Benji. Benji looked back at him and shrugged in question having not heard it. Ethan quietly stood and approached the wall, hearing the noise continue sporadically. Grinning, he waved the other two over and mimed for them to listen. They did, and when they recognized the sound Benji shared Ethan's grin.

"How do we get it?" Jane mouthed.

Ethan scrutinized the wall and figured that if they could hear a keyboard being typed on through it then Vacher could easily hear them talking, even if they were talking in their lowest voices. He pointed out the door to Jane's room and they quickly but soundlessly switched rooms. Ethan closed the door to their room and then closed Jane's door, happy to see that the hallway wasn't in view of the only guard in the house.

Huddling in the furthest corner away from Vacher's position, Jane repeated her question quietly. "How do we get that laptop?"

Ethan was eying out the window and caught sight of one guard pacing a short route on one side and figured the other two were doing the same elsewhere. "We take these guys out, get that laptop and find out what we can on the theft and the group."

"You don't really think Will is involved in this, do you?" Benji asked again, looking back and forth between the other two. Ethan and Jane shared a look. "Oh, come on!" Benji exclaimed loudly.

Jane reached over and slapped a hand over his mouth, reminding him to be quiet. He gave her a small glare before pushing her hand off.

"Listen, Benji, none of us wants to believe it, but Delany is right, people do change. We have to be prepared for the possibility…" Ethan only voiced what had to be said. "However, that's why we need that laptop. I need you to hack into our server and find that recording."

Benji gave Ethan a surprised look. "You mean… hack into I.M.F…."

Ethan frowned. "What else was I supposed to mean?"

"Er, well…" Benji made a face before shrugging. "Alright, I'll just hack into the highly secured I.M. bloody F. database using a laptop stolen from our handler after taking him and four massive bodyguards out. No problem." Benji muttered sarcastically.

Jane grinned at him as Ethan merely shook his head. "We have faith in you, Benji," she said.

"Alright, now we know what our plan is, how do we go about this?" Ethan asked, mostly talking to himself as he wondered over to the window and studied the guard he had in sight. He stepped out of the room and back into the other to look out that window and saw a second guard positioned on that side- so three locations known, the fourth most likely securing the front of the house.

Ethan motioned for Jane and Benji to stay before walking casually past Vacher's closed door and making his way into the kitchen. He gave the guard at the door a quick glance over before moving to the cabinets. The window in the kitchen was small, but by pretending to rummage through the cabinets he used the multiple angles to look around.

He could feel the guard watching him and tried to look casual enough as he pulled out a box of crackers. He held up his findings to the guard in a satisfied manner before making his way back to Jane's room. He carelessly dropped the box onto the desk before pulling the two back to the corner.

"Alright, we have one guard on this side, a second on the other, and a third in front. I don't know their schedule yet, so we should give it some time to see when our best time of action will be," Ethan said.

"And that action is…" Benji questioned.

Ethan paused. "In any case, I doubt they'll shoot to kill."

Benji glared at him. "That's not exactly comforting."

Shrugging, Ethan said, "Sorry, I make no guarantees of an easy mission here. We know what weapons the guards are carrying, but I'm not sure about Vacher. He did hint that he had one and I wouldn't doubt otherwise."

"So, who do we take out first- Vacher or the guard?" Jane asked.

Ethan eyed Jane and then Benji. "Both. Jane, you try to seduce Vacher and distract him while Benji and I take on our pal at the door."

Jane gave Ethan a skeptical look. "You really think seducing him will work? He's I.M.F. as well- we're trained for this kind of thing."

"It's worth a shot. And kind of the only option we have here," Ethan pointed out. "We'll wait at least through the night, figure out their schedule and routine and go from there."

Jane and Benji nodded before the tech stood suddenly. "I'm hungry…"

Jane and Ethan grinned at the normality. Ethan said, "Well, I did grab the crackers, but there is more food out there. Just be forewarned that you will be scrutinized by the big guy out there."

Benji shrugged. "Do you guys want anything?"

Ethan shook his head but Jane requested water. When he left, Jane looked at Ethan. "What do you really think about this, Ethan?"

Ethan sighed. "I honestly don't know… I mean, how well do we really know Will?"

"We've been working together for over a year now, and he's never let us down. He's always had our backs."

"It's the smart enemy who bides their time."

Jane frowned. "I don't like to think that William is our enemy."

"Neither do I, Jane. I think it's safe to say that Benji is certain Will is innocent, in any case."

With a sad smile, Jane said, "Yes… Benji still has that naiveté. I'm a little jealous sometimes, to be honest."

"Well, the lives we lead get complicated. But I do hope he never loses that…"

Jane nodded in agreement and the two went silent as they waited for Benji to come back. He did soon afterwards with a very irritated expression.

"What happened?" Ethan asked.

"That goon, that's what! I tried making simple conversation, and he has to be a bugger about it."

Jane patted him on the back as he handed the water over. "Don't worry. Tomorrow they'll get theirs," she said happily.

Ethan nodded. "I suggest we take turns with a short nap starting now so we can do surveillance tonight."

The other two nodded and each went about their own activities with the same thought- was William Brandt innocent or guilty?

* * *

Does anybody know what is up with ? I can't use my usual line breaks, which are the equal sign and a vertical line. Did they totally do away with the use of symbols now?


	2. Chapter 2

THANK YOU to everyone who has so far read, reviewed, favorited, and/or added this to their alerts!

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It was nearing midnight when Ethan and Benji crouched by the two windows, watching the guards. Jane had been trying to cozy up to Vacher and discreetly watching him to learn any routines he might have. She was currently sitting in the living room pretending to read a book while keeping an eye on the guard by the front door.

By the time Jane had to give up her pretense of reading and retreat to her room, they learned that there was a very simple routine: the guards rotated and a few hours after sunset took turns to sleep. That left them with a few hours' time slot of one guard less. It wasn't much, but it was something.

The next day after the sun went down, Ethan nodded to Jane; her cue to get Vacher alone and take him out. She didn't want to have to physically hit the guy to knock him out, but she had no tranquilizers and would have no choice. She was capable of doing it, but Vacher really wasn't that bad of a guy. She engaged him in a conversation of one of the books that were in the house, knowing that he had read it as well.

Luckily for her, they knew of similar authors and he happened to have a few novels stashed in his room. She hid a smirk when he invited her in to show her one that she claimed she had yet to read. She shared a quick look with Ethan who nodded and signaled to Benji who in turn entered the kitchen.

He turned on the tap that they had sabotaged early that morning during a short rotation, exclaiming dramatically when it sprayed everywhere. The guard jumped at the commotion and, after a short hesitation, left his post to help Benji. Ethan snuck up behind the guard, knocking him out instantly.

"Now I'm all drenched!" Benji complained as he quickly shut the water off.

"It'll dry, stop complaining," Ethan said. He searched the guard's clothes for more weapons but didn't find anything. "Help me drag him into one of the back rooms."

The two carried the guard across the threshold, trying to avoid the windows. They put him in one of the back rooms and used ripped bed sheets to bind him. The guards would eventually get out of them, but by the time they regained consciousness and freed themselves, the team would be long gone. As they emerged, they ran into Jane who presented the laptop to them with a satisfied smirk.

"No problems?" Ethan asked as Benji grabbed the laptop as if he were a deprived person.

"None. In fact, it was way too easy to knock him out. It was actually disappointing…" she said, not out of a taste for violence but that an I.M.F. agent was so easily duped.

"Alright, now all we have to do is wait for the new guard to come, take him out, and then the third. The fourth won't even know what's coming," Ethan stated.

When the guard came to replace the one they already took out, Ethan and Jane were hiding on either side of the door. Jane closed the door when Ethan pounced on the guard. This one put up a struggle, but was outnumbered by both Jane and Ethan. They rendered him unconscious soon enough and took him to the back room to join the other unconscious guard.

The third guard was currently pacing the right side of the house, and Benji and Ethan approached from both directions with Benji distracting him so Ethan could jump him. Meanwhile Jane snuck up on the fourth guard and hit him upside the head in his sleep.

After the four guards and Vacher were tied up in the house, the team collected the weapons and laptop and any other supplies to tide them over. They loaded into one of the vehicles and drove off.

"Alright, now that we're rogue agents, what the hell are we going to do?" Benji questioned.

"Find a safe house, hack into I.M.F. and get some answers. Once we get a lead, we follow it to the real culprit," Ethan explained.

"What safe house, Ethan? As soon as the agency realizes something happened and that we're rogue, they'll be on the look out for us," Jane pointed out, "No safe house will be safe."

"Then we find a safe house that they don't know about."

Jane stared at Ethan. "You have a private safe house or something?"

Ethan grinned. "Or something."

Jane and Benji shared a somewhat nervous look. By this time they were used to Ethan's crazy, half-assed plans and just went with the flow. While Jane and Benji held their comments back, Brandt had no such reserve and usually questioned Ethan's logic. In the end, though, he gave up if he had an acceptable answer. They dropped the I.M.F. car somewhere before 'borrowing' another vehicle and then Ethan drove them in a completely different direction.

Before they even reached the house Ethan had in mind, Benji was working on getting into the I.M.F. server. He made sure the laptop was secure and did his best to make sure he could get in mostly undetected before even attempting the hack. He knew the I.M.F. server, which was an advantage. Unfortunately, he also knew how difficult this would be.

He used as many back doors as possible to give them time before they were detected and blocked. Once at the house, he settled down to finding the files he wanted.

After almost an hour that Ethan and Jane used to secure the perimeter, Benji informed them he had access. The three gathered around and watched the video for the second time, and then a third, and a fourth.

Ethan paced behind the other two as the video played again. "There's something that's bugging me… I don't know what it is. But something is off. Play it again," he ordered Benji.

Benji looped the video back around and hit play.

"Pause it!" Ethan shouted, causing the other two to jump. Benji scrambled to pause it, and the three stared at the screenshot of Brandt aiming for the camera.

"What do you see?" Jane asked as she scrutinized the video.

Ethan had to pause, scrutinizing it himself. "What is Will's dominant side?"

Benji and Jane looked at each other before looking at Ethan. "His… left…" Benji said slowly and turned to the video. "He's using his right!"

"Yeah…" Ethan confirmed.

"So that's it! That's our proof!" Benji said excitedly, glad they found something. When Ethan and Jane stared at him with sober expressions he said, "But… it's not exactly proof, is it?"

"No, it's not… But it is suspicious," Ethan pointed out. "There's nothing to go by on the other guys, their identities are completely hidden. What about that cell phone that was dropped by one of them? What do we know about that?" he asked Benji.

Benji pressed some buttons and switched windows, pulling up a few files. "Not a whole lot was reported on that besides what Delany told us: the phone was traced, and it led back to one of the contacts Will supposedly had."

"Oh his personal cell," Jane added.

"Benji, can you hack Brandt's number and find those contacts, and possible locations?" Ethan asked.

"Sure I can, but it will take time to run."

"Well, we can let that go all night while we get some sleep," Ethan said.

The others agreed and Benji set the trace up, choosing to crash on the couch next to the laptop. The small house only had one room which Ethan let Jane have, opting for the recliner in the living room.

"Good night everyone," Benji yawned as he stretched out.

"Night, boys," Jane said in parting.

Ethan nodded to them before checking the windows again. He finally settled down and fell asleep almost right away.

MISSIONIMPOSSIBLEGHOSTPROTOCOL

The next morning, Benji woke up to the laptop beeping quietly. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he read through the findings. Some of the names sounded familiar, so he ran them through the database as he brought up the locations.

Most of the contacts were out of country and too far to be traced, but a few were closer to home. One in particular was very close by so he mapped that one out first. The trace beeped and he turned his attention onto the database to see some profiles pop up.

"Ethan!" Benji yelled out when he recognized a man.

Ethan jerked awake and sat up, looking around. "What?"

"You might want to see this…"

Ethan frowned and hurried over. "Shit," was all he said when he saw the profile.

Benji nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

The two men stared at the profile of Harold Quentin, who was known to sell secrets, specifically those of organizations. It didn't matter what kind of organization, Quentin just liked to stir up tension between competing companies and then, when the two parties were at their weakest, he would swoop in and take control of one or both organizations.

The man had no problems using any means necessary to gain that control: blackmail, murder, it didn't matter. He had a gift of using the smallest of leverage to accomplish his goal. And now he had I.M.F. in his sights.

"Do we know what archives were stolen, Benji?"

Benji answered by pulling up the corresponding reports and the two quickly read through them.

"That is not good…" Benji stated the obvious.

"Wake up Jane. As soon as we have a location and get put together, we're heading out to find this guy."

Benji nodded and Ethan sat down at the laptop reading the report and mentally listing the archives they needed to reacquire: mission logs which included agent and enemy names, weapon data and lists, technology research, and financial status.

He was running multiple scenarios in his head when he heard a sound from the front entrance. Glancing around, he realized that Benji and Jane were at the back of the house still. Ethan quickly pulled a gun and aimed at the intruder when he crept around the corner.

The man raised his own gun and stared at Ethan.

"Jesus! Brandt!" Ethan exclaimed.

Benji and Jane heard the shout and rushed into the room to see Ethan and Brandt standing with their guns aimed at each other. Ethan eyed them before looking back at Brandt who had yet to say anything until Ethan told him to lower his gun.

"We're not going to shoot you, Will!" Benji laughed nervously but threw Ethan a dubious look.

Ethan looked at him before refocusing on Brandt. He tried to read the man's body language but couldn't until the two locked eyes and Ethan saw his answer there. He nodded and lowered his gun. The whole room gave a sigh of relief when both guns were lowered.

Brandt grunted and slid down the wall. "I actually thought you were going to shoot me, Ethan…"

Ethan rushed over to Brandt and looked him over as he replied, "Nah, not today." The two shared a grin before Ethan's hand found Brandt's side, causing him to grimace in pain. "You're shot."

"Really? Had no idea…" Brandt muttered sarcastically.

"What happened, Will?" Jane asked as she joined them in a crouch. Benji stood just behind her with a worried look.

Brandt looked at them all before sighing. "I've had one hell of a week, that's what..." He slid his eyes closed in exhaustion before Ethan tapped his cheek.

"Stay awake. Benji, go grab the first aid kit from the bathroom. Jane, help me move him to the couch."

Brandt gasped in pain as the two pulled him up and helped in to the couch. Ethan struggled with Brandt when he tried to pull the shirt off.

"Stop it, William!" Jane ordered and lightly smacked Brandt's arm. Brandt made a face before allowing Ethan to pull his shirt off, revealing a bloody bandage.

After removing it and examining the wound, Ethan said, "Through and through. At least we don't have to deal with a bullet."

"Yeah, lucky me…" Brandt mumbled as Benji offered the already opened first aid to Ethan.

"Blehck," was his comment when he saw the bloody mess.

Brandt gave Benji a tired grin but hissed when Ethan cleansed the wounds. Ethan barely uttered an apology before applying some antiseptic to the areas while Benji cleaned up the split lip and small cut above Brandt's brow. Ethan re-bandaged the wounds before feeling Bradnt's visibly bruised ribs. He pulled out a roll of ace bandages and, with Jane's help, wrapped Brandt's chest. Jane pulled out pain killers and handed Brandt a couple with a glass of water.

"So, care to explain how you managed to get shot, break at least one or two ribs, and gather all those cuts and bruises?" Ethan asked as he stepped back, allowing Brandt space to relax.

Brandt sighed and shifted to get comfortable, which wasn't easy. "The day after our mission was completed I was ambushed. I didn't know where I was taken, they blindfolded me but I could tell it was somewhere far out of the city. Their leader is Harold Quentin. I recognized him from our profile on him."

Ethan and Benji nodded, already having realized his involvement. "Was he the one who impersonated you to steal the files?" Ethan asked.

Brandt nodded. "I wasn't sure at first if I was specifically targeted or just randomly chosen, but the man likes to boast. He revealed that he had this long planned out. He has a mole inside I.M.F., watching and waiting; he reports back to Quentin. He figured if I was blamed, they would focus on the traitor. And, apparently, your reputation precedes you," he nodded to Ethan. "Quentin knew that if he was to act, he didn't want you, or your team, to be after him."

"So, why wasn't Ethan the target?" Benji asked.

"I'm an analyst, or used to be," Brandt reminded them. "They knew I could give them information, while at the same time frame me in hopes that the whole team would be suspected and taken out of the picture."

"Well, it worked…" Jane said.

Ethan was staring at Brandt and taking in his injuries. "Did they try to get information out of you?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Brandt gave them a morose grin. "Tried- not very hard, to be honest." The other three relaxed some in silent relief, glad he wasn't tortured. "Then, when the majority of them had gone to carry out their plan, I took advantage of the lack of guards. I managed to get out of there, but not without paying for it," Brandt gestured to himself.

"You know where their base is?" Ethan asked, but made it more of a statement.

Brandt nodded tiredly. Ethan noticed and ordered him to get some sleep, betting that he hadn't gotten very much in a while. He and Benji helped Brandt up and into the bedroom so he would be more comfortable in the bed. Jane pulled out some food to prepare for everyone and the other two joined her in the kitchen.

They were silent for a while before Benji shook his head. "I can't believe this is happening. We can't catch a break, can we?"

Ethan gave Benji a sympathetic smile. "Guess not." He looked down the hallway to the bedroom. "We're staying here until Brandt regains his strength. We pull as much information as we can from Quentin's file and the other numbers that were planted in Brandt's phone. We have to be one step ahead of I.M.F. Our advantage is that we have Brandt, who knows where their base is. So, as of now, Will is an asset and needs to be protected; the enemy will most likely be after him since he's seen their faces, knows their hideout and their plans."

"Right," Jane agreed. Benji nodded before returning to the laptop to do his job.

The three ate and then spent the day in the living room. Thanks to Benji's hacking and computer skills, they accessed all the files they needed to get as much information as they could. Benji also did some research to see if any of the stolen I.M.F. information had been leaked yet or put up for bid and thankfully didn't find anything.

"He may be waiting since Brandt unexpectedly escaped. Either he has to bide his time to make sure his trail is safe, or he gets desperate and acts fast. Just keep an eye out, Benji. Also, pull up our status- see where I.M.F. is at in trailing us," Ethan said.

Benji did just that and found the report of their rogue status. "We, the four of us but specifically Will, are currently at the top of the list for most wanted," Benji stated.

Ethan nodded. "Of course."

"This is going to be more difficult than when I.M.F. went into Ghost Protocol…" Jane warned.

"What would our jobs be if not impossible?" Ethan smirked before standing to check on Brandt. His comment elicited eye rolls from the other two.

Ethan quietly opened the bedroom door and peeked in. Brandt had been sleeping since that morning and still showed no signs of waking up. Ethan frowned, knowing that it could mean nothing, or it could mean something bad. With light steps he approached the bed and looked Brandt over carefully. Only when he saw that Brandt was breathing fine and looked comfortable did he relax.

When he returned to the living room, Jane was cleaning the weapons and taking stock of ammunition while Benji was still immersed in the virtual world.

"How is he?" Jane eyed Ethan.

"Doing fine, still asleep."

Benji snorted. "Injured or not, that man can sleep."

Ethan and Jane grinned in response, knowing this was true. On a mission, Brandt was a light sleeper. But after months of working together and learning to trust one another, it was revealed that Brandt could be a heavy sleeper when he wanted to be.

"You know, I was just thinking," Benji started. "How did Will find us?"

Ethan frowned. None of them had thought of it because they were too relieved that Brandt was here and relatively safe. Ethan, though, couldn't help but feel a nagging suspicion. He shook his head to try to get rid of it, telling himself that Brandt was not their enemy. "We can ask him that when he wakes up," he said instead.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you, EVERYONE! Second to last chapter: hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Brandt didn't wake up until the sun was going down, having slept the entire day away. They heard him make his way into the bathroom and use the shower.

"He'd better not be getting his bandages wet…" Jane said sternly.

Ethan chuckled at her. "They'll need to be changed anyways."

Brandt took his time in the shower, reveling in the soothing steam. After the week he had, he felt he could sleep longer but knew he didn't have that luxury. He was just glad he was able to find his team, and more than glad that they didn't believe he was a traitor. He emerged almost an hour later, looking and feeling more alert and refreshed.

"Morning, princess," Benji quipped with a large grin. "Oh, you look better! Now you don't look like hell froze over."

Brandt shuffled past him with a mild glare. He raided the fridge, grateful to find food waiting for him. He started eating it cold and joined the others in the living room. He stopped when he noticed the others watching him.

"What?"

"Cold? Seriously?" Jane asked a little disgusted.

Brandt shrugged and took another bite. "Tastes fine to me."

Ethan chuckled. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," was all Brandt said. When others raised their brows at him he sighed. "Sore, still tired, but alive."

The others relented at that and let him eat in peace. When he finished Jane jumped up to grab the plate before he could stand. Brandt watched her walk off with amusement. She came back with the first aid kit and motioned for him to take his shirt off. He couldn't help but say, "Are you just looking for an excuse to see me shirtless?"

Benji snorted in laughter when Jane blushed a little. She glared at him before smacking Brandt lightly upside the head.

"Ow!" Brandt tried to pout but couldn't stop grinning.

Ethan shook his head at them and joined Jane, coercing Brandt into letting them doctor him up again. "How are the ribs? Do you need them wrapped?"

Brandt took a deep breath and felt the pain was manageable so he shook his head in response to Ethan's question.

"No, I'm sure," he verbally responded when Ethan gave him a stern look while Jane handed him more pain killers.

"Alright. But we're taking this along in case you need it," Ethan said, holding up the first aid kit. "So, got anything to tell us about these guys before we go busting into their lair?"

"I don't recognize many of them, but some are known to I.M.F. as general threats," Brandt began. "There are ten of them working for Quentin, six of which had gone with him to steal the archives. I killed one so that leaves nine armed thugs, plus Quentin himself who is quite familiar with using weapons or fists. Their base is on the outskirts of Warrenton, not too far from the airport. It's an abandoned construction site."

Ethan nodded as Benji pulled up a map of the area. While he worked, Benji asked, "So, how did you find us, Will?"

Ethan and Jane looked at him and Brandt grinned a little sheepishly. "I uh… hacked into the server?"

Benji stopped and looked up at Brandt in surprise along with Ethan and Jane.

"It took me a while, but your lessons paid off, Benji." Brandt threw the tech an appreciating grin.

Benji grinned back. "I am proud of you! And you two thought it was a waste of time!" he said looking at Ethan and Jane. "I _told_ you it would come in useful for two of us to know how to hack."

"I'm still no where near your level of skill, Benji; I'll leave the virtual world to you, thanks," Brandt said firmly.

Ethan said, "But that only explains how you would have known we were under house arrest, but not how you found us _here_. I.M.F. doesn't know about this place…"

Brandt gave him a small grin. "I admit that the chances of actually finding you here were incredibly slim, but I had to take the chance. Besides, I figured I could recover here for a while until I did find you. You don't remember? You mentioned this place a while back."

Ethan stared at him. "No…"

Brandt looked from him to the other two. "It was during that lake mission. We were talking about vacations and you mentioned this place in passing and commented that maybe the I.M.F. couldn't find you for once if you hid out here since it's so close to headquarters and they wouldn't be expecting that."

Now Ethan did remember. "Wow… It's incredible that you even remember that, let alone think of it to try to find us here."

"Well, I wasn't chief analyst for nothing," Brandt shrugged and the other three grinned or shook their heads at him. "But like I said, the chances were slim…"

"Well, I'm glad you found us, Will," Jane said. "Now we just need to figure this out and find the people responsible and clear your name."

Brandt nodded with a sigh and rubbed his eyes, physically and mentally exhausted still.

Ethan eyed him carefully. "Ten targets, four of us- not bad odds. You, however," he pointed to Brandt, "Aren't up to much so you'll stay in the background." Brandt made to argue but Ethan held up a hand. "I mean that, Brandt. You're shot and have broken ribs. You should actually be in a hospital…"

"I'm fine, alright. If it makes you feel better I'll do what you say, but I am _not_ getting left behind," Brandt stated firmly and stared Ethan in the eye.

Ethan let out a breath at Brandt's stubbornness but understood his determination. "You do _exactly_ as I say. I tell you to fall back, you fall back."

Brandt nodded and Ethan continued with the plan. "I don't want you hand to hand with any of these guys. Jane and I will be at the front, Brandt you'll be in the back with Benji. You two make sure nobody sneaks up on us or gets out. You can shoot from a distance to help us out, but Benji keep Brandt in your sights and out of the actual fighting."

Benji nodded solemnly and looked at Brandt. Brandt knew he wouldn't be useful in the actual fighting so he gave in and accepted Ethan's orders.

"Now all of these guys are threats to I.M.F. and their custody would be more beneficial to the agency then their deaths. But we are outnumbered, and our mission is to bring Quentin in and clear Brandt's name. Hopefully they'll keep the same schedule and routine that Brandt observed; Jane and I will go in first and find the three or four inactive guards and take them out of the equation.

"Benji and Brandt will come in after us and cover our backs from a distance. Of the remaining five or six guards, three or four will be closest to Quentin. That group Jane and I will take head on. You two can set up an ambush for the other two or three when they come running at the commotion. But, Brandt, don't engage physically, alright?"

Brandt nodded with a hand up, getting the point- be a good boy and stay out of trouble.

Ethan nodded. "Benji can handle the others at once if he needs."

Benji stared at Ethan and nodded. He was nervous about that, but knew he could handle it if he really did need to. Brandt noticed his nervousness and silently vowed to have Benji's back no matter what.

"Of course, with one guard down and the circumstances different, the routine may be different; we're not positive how many guards will be where," Ethan reminded them. "Just make sure whoever you take down, is down for the count. Being outnumbered as we are, this plan needs to go smoothly."

"Don't say that…" Brandt groaned. When Ethan frowned at him he said, "You'll jinx it! Something usually goes wrong as it is."

"It does," Jane said and Benji nodded.

"Alright, that's true," Ethan allowed. "But it usually works out in the end, doesn't it?" The other three nodded reluctantly. "Good." Ethan finished up the plan and informed them the best time of attack would be at two in the morning and for them to get sleep now.

Brandt had no problem with that, seeing as he was still tired. Before he headed back to the bedroom, Ethan convinced him to wrap up his ribs.

"One more night," Ethan insisted.

Brandt relented and even allowed Jane to follow him into the bedroom to make sure he was settled for the night.

"I'm fine, honestly…" Brandt said.

Jane smiled at him. "Yeah, I know. But as teammates we're allowed to be concerned about your health. And as friends we're allowed to make sure you behave yourself." She grinned.

Brandt chuckled and relaxed into the blankets. "Thanks…"

"You're welcome. Get some sleep. See you in the morning."

"Night, Jane."

"Good night, Will," Jane smiled and shut the door behind her.

She headed back into the living room and found Benji stretched out on the floor with two sleeping bags under him and the laptop right next to him. Of course, he was messing with something on it.

"Put it away, Benji, and get some sleep," Ethan said as he reclaimed the recliner.

"I will. Give me a moment."

Jane shook her head and stretched out on the couch. "Thanks for the couch, Benji."

"You're welcome," Benji grinned up at her. "I kind of feel like I'm camping. We should do that some time."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "You would go camping where you have no access to the internet? Shocking."

Benji gave him an indignant look. "Who said anything about going some place _that_ remote? Besides, with the software I have, I have connection almost anywhere on the globe!"

Jane laughed. "Good point."

"Alright, alright! Sleep, everyone. How's Brandt settled in?"

"Just fine," Jane replied as she reached over to the desk lamp and ignored Benji's whine when the room went dark.

"Now, Benji…" Ethan said gently.

"Fine…"

The glow from the laptop shut off and the room went even darker with the only light coming from outside the windows.

"Night, boys," Jane said.

"Night," Ethan said.

"Sleep tight; don't let the bed bugs bite!" Benji sang out.

"Oh, by the way, Benji- you might get a small friend trying to cuddle up to you. The mouse traps have never caught the thing," Ethan said.

"WHAT?!" Benji yelped.

Ethan and Jane laughed, and they could hear Brandt laughing from the bedroom having heard Ethan's comment.

"Go to sleep, Brandt!" Ethan called out.

"I will if you three shut up!" Brandt quipped right back.

"I'm kidding about the mouse, Benji, relax."

"Damn it, Ethan…"

Ethan chuckled before calling out loudly for all occupants, "Sleep! NOW!"

Two grumbles sounded through the house and Jane snorted.

Ethan shook his head, thinking it was like taking care of children. He just hoped that tomorrow went smoothly and they would have future nights like this one.

MISSIONIMPOSSIBLEGHOSTPROTOCOL

"Ethan, behind you!" Jane called out as she punched the thug she was fighting, knocking him out cold. She hurried to zip tie his hands behind his back. The zip ties had been Benji's idea when he came across them in the house and the others quickly agreed it was a good idea to even their odds.

Ethan was further ahead of her after having caught sight of Quentin. He dodged the incoming board that was flying for his head and kicked the guard holding it.

So far they had taken down three sleeping guards and one of the three who were close to Quentin's position. That left three somewhere else in the building. Brandt and Benji held back, keeping their two teammates in sight. Brandt shot the third guard in the leg who was trying to sneak up on Jane. She turned to the thug and knocked him out, placing his wrists in zip ties.

"I got him, go!" Jane distracted the thug Ethan had been fighting.

Ethan left her to it to run after Quentin. Brandt eyed him, wanting to follow. Just as he was about to a thug came up behind him. Benji quickly slammed into the guy and knocked him away from Brandt. Benji and the guard rolled around on the floor while Brandt stood by with his gun trained on them feeling helpless.

After receiving a few punches, Benji got the upper hand and slammed the thugs head into the concrete.

"Sorry, mate…" Benji muttered with a wince. He stood and nodded at Brandt.

Brandt grinned at him and glanced back at Jane to see her opponent was down. "Two more left."

Just as he said that gun fire sounded throughout the building.

"That doesn't sound good…" Benji said.

"That's not coming from Ethan's direction," Jane said as she joined them.

The three stood, unsure of what to do until Jane ran to a window and looked out.

"Shit!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Benji asked with a worried look.

Jane turned to them. "I.M.F. is here…"

"How did they get here?" Brandt asked. He dove a hand into his pocket and pulled something out. He bumped into Benji, slipping it into his jacket pocket. He was about to explain it to Benji when Ethan suddenly showed up, breathless.

"Quentin got away. I saw him on his cell talking to someone as he escaped. Whoever the mole is, must have informed the agency that we were here."

"We need to leave, now," Jane said and eyed Brandt out of the corner of her eye.

Ethan nodded. They didn't make it out of the building before a team swooped in, guns raised, yelling at them to put their hands up.

The four looked at each other as they complied, not having another choice. Agents stepped up to them and disarmed each of them before placing handcuffs on them all. Three agents surround Brandt and pushed him to the ground.

Brandt cried out as his already broken and bruised ribs hit the concrete.

"Hey, easy! He's hurt!" Benji yelled at them and tried to step closer. The agent near him grabbed his arm and held him back.

"He's a traitor." Everyone looked over to see a man with Delany at his side stepping into the room. "And you three are dangerously close to being in the same boat as he is. I suggest you stand down, now!"

"Who the hell are?" Ethan demanded, glancing at Delany.

"I am Inspector General Nikolaus Graham. You've already met my assistant Ms. Delany," the man said and stared down at Brandt. "We've been looking for you. Take him away."

The three agents hauled Brandt to his feet, causing Brandt to groan in pain. Ethan noticed a blood stain on his side and cursed when he realized that the gun shot wound opened up again.

"He's injured- he needs a hospital," Ethan tried.

Graham glared at him as Brandt looked back at them helplessly as he was led away. "That's none of your concern. He is no longer part of your team. As for you three, you are all under arrest along with Brandt. You may not have had a part in the initial act of treason, but you have consorted with a known traitor! Get them all out of my sight."

"Wait a second!" Ethan argued as the agent tried to push him forward. Jane and Benji struggled against the ones holding them as well. "Interrogate the thugs here! They'll tell you the truth- Brandt is innocent!"

"We killed the four thugs that we encountered. There are no others! Now quite grasping at straws and move! That's an order!"

Ethan shared a look with Jane and Benji before turning to Graham. "There were more! Nine in all. They must have gotten away. Quentin- Harold Quentin. He's responsible for all of this. He framed Brandt!"

"Shut up and move, now!"

Ethan glared at Graham as he was pushed forward. Ethan let out a frustrated breath through his nose and quite his struggling. Once outside, Graham and Delany took off ahead of them in their own vehicle. Half of the agents stayed behind in the building leaving five with the team. They didn't see Brandt anywhere and figured they already drove off with him.

Ethan wasn't about to give up on Brandt. He knew that once at headquarters and in custody, they wouldn't be able to help him at all. "Sorry, guys," Ethan said.

Jane and Benji looked at him sadly, but then they saw the determined look in his eye. They nodded and simultaneously the three fought against the agents. Luckily for them, the agents were hesitant to shoot them. It took a lot of struggling and taking some hits, but the three finally knocked out the agents. Ethan dug through one of their pockets for a key.

He found it and glanced back at the building, seeing more agents running. "Quick, we have to get out of here before the others get here."

He undid his cuffs and led them to one of the vehicles. He handed the key to Jane so she could undo her Benji's cuffs as he drove.

"Benji, can you disable the tracker on this thing from in here?"

"Yeah," Benji replied as he dove for the dashboard and pulled a panel away. He pulled a wire out after sorting through them. "Got it."

"Now what? What are they going to do to Will?" Jane asked when Ethan had pulled off the road and stopped somewhere out of sight. They spotted a few I.M.F. cars streak past them.

"Honestly I don't know… Under normal circumstances I.M.F. is humane with prisoners, but this isn't normal circumstances…" Ethan breathed out hoplessly.

Benji said, "Then we need to go back and find at least one of the thugs. If we take him in and he talks then Will is in the clear, right?"

"How do we find these guys again, though?" Jane asked.

Ethan shook his head before pulling out and returning to the construction site. Keeping an eye out for anyone, enemy or ally, he pulled up next to the first vehicle they arrived in. He transferred the laptop and supplies to the agency car and took off again, this time in the opposite direction where the agents followed them the first time.

"Hack into the server and check for updates on Brandt's predicament. Jane, help me figure out a way to lure the thugs back out…" Ethan said.

While Benji hacked, Ethan and Jane threw ideas back and forth.

Jane shrugged. "What if we put out false information to one of them?"

"But how?" Ethan asked.

"Or we could use this…" Benji interrupted, holding a very small device up. Ethan glanced at him through the rearview mirror while Jane turned to him.

"What is that?" Jane asked.

"It was in my jacket pocket. I think Will slipped it in there… He was going to say something to me before we had to make a run for it and then we were surrounded. It looks like a tracker."

"He didn't…" Ethan started, a grin forming.

"He planted a bug on one of them?" Jane asked, amazed.

"Crazy son of a bitch… Benji-"

"On it!" Benji cut Ethan off as he examined it. "This is one of mine! It's one I gave to Will a while back…" He quickly turned to the laptop. "I can use the I.M.F. software and track this without anyone else on the server knowing."

Jane gave him a look and Ethan raised his brow. Sheepishly, Benji explained, "Well, it was something I thought up once… Will thought it was a funny idea and convinced me to do it. I never thought we'd actually have to use the secrecy of it, though!"

"You two are brilliant… And a nightmare," Ethan stated.

"Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment. And I'm sure Will would also," Benji grinned. "I've got a signal! And it's really close, but you have to turn around."

Ethan did, a little too sharply and the other two glared at him. "Sorry," he said without sounding it. "Where to?"

Finally they caught a lucky break, but Ethan only hoped that nothing happened to Brandt before they could get to him with evidence.


	4. Chapter 4

So, LAST CHAPTER! I really appreciate all of the views, story alerts, favorites, and reviews. You guys are amazing, thank you for the support and reassurance that this turned out to be a good story. I hope the ending is just as good, and it doesn't let you down... Enjoy! And thank you all again!

* * *

Brandt grunted in pain as he was man handled out of the car. He knew it was useless to plead his innocence to these guys who wouldn't have a say in it anyways. So he saved his breath for when he came across someone who mattered. They had arrived at headquarters, but were entering through the back door, so to speak- which really meant a long, underground tunnel.

He supposed they didn't want him making a scene, especially when the headquarters fronted as an insurance business. Once they navigated their way into the building, Brandt was shoved into a holding cell. Graham was waiting for them and instructed two agents to un-cuff him.

As they did so, Brandt spoke up, "Aren't I entitled to a doctor?" He figured they wouldn't care, but it was worth a try. His ribs were aching and his wound was still bleeding, causing bursts of pain to flare through his side every so often.

Graham ignored him and ordered the agents out before the door was slammed shut and locked from the outside, leaving Brandt alone. He sighed and gingerly dropped onto the cot, pulling his shirt up to look at the soaked bandages. Breandt dropped the shirt, knowing there wasn't anything to do for it besides let it clot. Deciding he may was well try to rest his body, Brandt lay out on the cot, grateful for the chance to lay still.

He wasn't sure how long he was laying there before the door opened and two agents entered with Graham. The agents stood back but at attention with guns out while Graham stepped in further. Brandt slowly sat up.

"Who are you working with?" Graham asked.

"No one. I was framed. It's Harold Quentin. We already tried to tell you this," Brandt sighed. He knew he had no proof. He only hoped that his teammates had gotten away and that Benji had found the tracker. He couldn't believe his luck that he even had the thing with him when he had been ambushed. He had stored it in his shoe from the mission and had forgotten to remove it. He wasn't even sure if the thug he planted it on was alive even. He could only hope for the best and wait for his team.

"We checked in on Quentin, and there has been no activity on him lately."

"Well there wouldn't be from his name, now would there? He was impersonating me!"

Graham didn't blink at him. "Where are the archives?"

"I assume Quentin has them." Brandt rolled his eyes. He knew he was on dangerous ground here, but couldn't help the frustration at his own agency's idiocy. He couldn't deny that it stung, being labeled a traitor. After all the years of loyalty to I.M.F. and now they believed he turned. He shook his head- he wasn't so sure he would get out of this alive.

"Hm…" Graham muttered as he stepped forward. Before Brandt had a chance to react, Graham struck out and hit his ribs.

"AAH! I am telling the fucking truth!" Brandt growled.

"We'll see," Graham said before exiting, leaving the two agents in the room.

Once the Inspector General was gone, one agent stepped forward and pushed Brandt back against the wall.

Brandt sighed through his pain filled breathing. So they were going to resort to torture. Great…

"Just tell us the truth, Brandt…. We don't want to have to hurt you," the agent said, his tone full of mockery.

Brandt glared at him and wanted to tell the man to fuck off but he held back. He was already in pain and didn't want any more than was necessary.

The agent bent closer and said in a low voice, "You know, the boss if very angry with you. Ever since you disappeared, you've been a nasty thorn in his side…"

Brandt froze before looking up. "You… You're the mole!"

The man grinned before smoothing his face out to turn to the other agent, shaking his head. "The lies the enemy will tell to save their own skin…"

"Yeah, lies…" Brandt muttered. He turned to the other agent. "Please listen to me! This man is not one of us- he's a mole working for Harold Quentin!"

The mole struck Brandt across the face, cutting him off. Brandt grunted and vaguely realized that his previously split lip was bleeding again. He glared at the man and wanted to attack him but the other agent noticed his posture and drew his gun up.

Taking a calming breath, Brandt eyed him before addressing the mole. "So, Hinkelstein, how long have you been burrowing your way into the agency?" The man showed surprise and Brandt grinned. "Yeah, I know your name."

The mole, Hinkelstein, shook his head. "Don't listen to him; he's trying to confuse us."

Brandt chuckled humorlessly. "Probably for years, but still not very high up, are you?" He was hoping to rankle the guy and get him to slip up. Hinkelstein glared at him, but didn't say anything so Brandt continued. "Maybe it's because our superiors subconsciously know not to trust you. Does Quentin even trust you? Maybe he doesn't and that's why he sent you here, in hopes you'll be found out. One less worry for your boss, huh?"

Hinkelstein struck out again, this time slamming a fist into his stomach. Brandt cried out, but was satisfied to get a reaction out of him. He glanced up at the other agent and saw that he was looking nervous. Brandt was planting the seed of doubt in him, and hopefully it would grow into suspicion and this guy wouldn't get away.

"Yeah, you've though of that, haven't you?" Brandt asked Hinkelstein as he clutched his stomach.

"Hey, now…" the other agent stepped forward hesitantly.

"Listen, I'm telling the truth here… I am innocent. Please believe me." Brandt looked the agent straight in the eyes trying to convince him.

The agent turned to Hinkelstein in question. "Maybe we should-"

The man didn't have a chance to finish what he was saying before Hinkelstein brought his gun out and shot him between the eyes. Brandt jumped up to tackle Hinkelstein as the agent fell.

Unfortunately, Hinkelstein had the upper hand at the moment and elbowed Brandt in the head. Brandt fell heavily and heard the gun skitter across the floor just as the door burst open and people flooded in.

"He's shot him! He went crazy and shot him before I could do anything," Brandt heard Hinkelstein cry out.

"Jim!" An agent was kneeling next to the dead agent. He stood and turned to Brandt in anger. "That was my partner, you son of a bitch!"

Brandt cried out as the man kicked him in the stomach a few times, adding to his broken ribs. Through the pain, Brandt looked up and saw Hinkelstein in the background smirking at him. Another kick to his ribs and everything blacked out.

He woke up after what must have been only a very short moment when he was roughly hauled up from the ground. His head swam and his whole torso burned in agony.

Trying to clear his head, Brandt struggled as best he could despite his injuries and the three agents restraining him. Over their shoulders, he could see Hinkelstein still looming in the background and struggled even more; he wanted to take that man down.

"Stop struggling, traitor. You know you deserve this," Hinkelstein's smug voice reached Brandt.

He managed to get an arm loose and reached for the jerk but an agent grabbed him and swiftly knocked him backwards onto a gurney. Brandt cried out in pain and frustration when they quickly strapped him down, heedless of his injuries. Even as they wheeled him out, Brandt still struggled to get loose. He did note that the three agents were out of breath and took some satisfaction in that.

His struggles died down some as he shifted his head to keep an eye on Hinkelstein who was following at a safe distance. It took a while for the group to arrive at a door and Brandt used it to catch his breath and regain some strength.

He tested the straps and silently cursed when he realized they wouldn't give any leeway.

"I didn't do it! You have to believe me! _He's_ responsible, he's not I.M.F.!" Brandt tried. But, like every other time, he was ignored. Being a scapegoat really sucked, he decided.

Even as they wheeled him into the room he continued to struggle and shout. He looked around and noticed a woman in a lab coat staring at him with wide eyes. He took deep breaths and forced himself to be calm. He didn't like that the terrified look was directed at him.

"Please… I'm telling the truth…" he tried one last time. The three agents who brought him in were still completely ignoring him and Hinkelstein wasn't showing any reaction. The woman, however, was staring at him and then eyed the others.

"I am sorry, madam, for the traitor's display. But do not listen to him, he is only desperate," Hinkelstein assured her before nodding to the three agents. Two left leaving one at the door, as if they were afraid Brandt could escape still even after all of his struggles so far had yielded no result. Hinkelstein held out an arm in gesture towards Brandt.

The woman nodded nervously and stepped towards Brandt cautiously. She reached towards a table and Brandt followed her actions. He froze when he spotted the syringes. Frantically looked around the room, Brandt noticed for the first time that he was in an execution chamber. They were going to kill him… He focused on controlling his breathing when the woman inserted the I.V.'s , trying not to lose his calm- or what little he had of it anyways- and scare her more.

He caught her eye when she approached with the first injection, trying to convey all of his innocence and pleadings in one look. She swallowed and looked away before injecting the drug, allowing it to flow through the drip. Brandt closed his eyes in despair and acceptance as the sedative took effect.

MISSIONIMPOSSIBLEGHOSTPROTOCOL

Ethan ran down the hallway, Jane and Benji hot on his trail. They reached the guards at the door but before they could do anything the team had them out cold on the floor. Ethan rushed passed them and threw the door open.

He froze in dread when he saw Brandt laying on the gurney, strapped down and unconscious. Was he too late? Ethan took the last guard out as Hinkelstein knocked the woman aside and grabbed up a needle and injected it into the I.V.

Ethan rushed forward to remove the I.V. but Hinkelstein tackled him to the floor.

"Remove the I.V.!" he yelled at the woman. A glance over at her told him that she was obviously frightened and confused. "Please! He's a good man!"

The woman looked from the two struggling men to the one who pleaded with her silently just moments before. She pulled herself up and leapt forward, grabbing the drip and disconnecting it from the I.V. She ignored the lethal drug as it flowed from the drip to the floor as she focused onto the man she almost had a hand in killing.

Jane and Benji grabbed Hinkelstein up and pushed him towards some guards who handcuffed him.

"Brandt!" Ethan gasped as he reached his teammate.

"I hope it's too late!" Hinkelstein laughed mechanically until Benji swung a fist around, knocking him out.

"He's not breathing…" the woman muttered as she hastily undid the straps with Ethan's help. "I need an oxygen mask in here now!" She yelled out as she began C.P.R. on Brandt. A few short moments later more people rushed in with equipment, pushing the team further away from Brandt. In the chaos of the room, Ethan, Jane, and Benji watched as the team of medics did their best to save Brandt.

MISSIONIMPOSSIBLEGHOSTPROTOCOL

The two stood close together amongst the little gathering in the cemetery. Ethan shifted his eyes from the coffin that was suspended above the open grave to roam his gaze over the others in attendance. He felt Jane shift beside him and looked over to see her wiping her face. Grabbing her hand, he gave her a comforting smile when she turned to him. She returned it with a weaker one before looking ahead again.

The priest droned on about William Brandt's life, using his cover job and life, of course. Soon a different person stepped forward and began the eulogy. After some time, Ethan shifted impatiently while moving his eyes around the immediate area. Jane noticed his agitation and clenched the hand that they still had clasped together.

After a few minutes, the priest's voice sounded in Ethan's ear. "Target to your four thirty, Titan."

Ethan looked over at the man who spoke and saw him wiping his face with a cloth. Ethan slid his hand from Jane and made to walk away from the service. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a man approaching. Stepping up to a tree and leaning against it, Ethan buried his face in his hands and slumped forward, eying the newcomer through his fingers.

The man eyed the service carefully and glanced at Ethan before continuing his approach. Jane watched out of the corner of her eye as the man locked eyes on the coffin. When Jane noticed him glance at her she made a show of wiping away a tear.

"Confirmed match?" Ethan inquired quietly.

Vacher, on the other side of the service, held his Bible up higher as the prayer currently being said continued. He casually aimed it at the newcomer and snapped a photo, waiting for facial recognition to run. He shoved back a grin when it showed a 100% match. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at Ethan's general direction and gave a miniscule nod. "Confirmed," he muttered without moving his lips.

Ethan nodded sharply and quickly but silently made his way to the target. When he got just a few feet behind him, the man turned around, gun raised.

The reaction was instant and simultaneous- every person, including priest, in attendance dropped whatever they were doing and pulled out a gun, training it on the man.

"Well, Quentin, nice of you to make an appearance," Ethan jibed.

The man chuckled. "I see; this was a set up. Is he even dead?"

Ethan ignored the question and took one step forward. "Lower your weapon."

"Hm… I think not," Quentin said as he dove forward and tried to tackle Ethan.

Ethan was prepared and spun, using Quentin's momentum to drag them both down.

"Hold your fire!" Jane ordered the other agents as she stayed close, ready to shoot Quentin but not willing to open fire yet with Ethan so close to him.

Ethan struggled with Quentin, who was trying to point the gun at him. Ethan easily disarmed him and tossed the gun aside, happily using his fist to take the man down. With each punch, he felt some revenge being taken for Brandt. Before he delivered the last punch, Ethan paused and said, "This is for Brandt, you son of a bitch."

Before either of them could make a move, Jane jumped forward and punched Quentin as hard as she could. The man dropped to the ground unconscious and a few agents rushed forward to put handcuffs on him and take him away.

"Nice punch, Rhea," Ethan said in between breaths. Jane nodded as she took a calming breath, watching as the agents threw Quentin in the back of a car and drive off. She turned back to Ethan as he made a call on his cell phone. "Hyperion? This is Titan and Rhea checking in. The target has been successfully taken out; the coast is clear."

"Oh, that's good," Benji sighed out in relief from his position some miles away.

Jane pulled the phone away a bit to hear and asked, "How's Saturn?"

Benji smiled and turned, seeing Brandt sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed. "Stable and getting stronger by the minute. He even woke up for a very short few seconds earlier."

"I'm glad to hear that. We'll be back at HQ soon. Titan and Rhea out," Ethan and Jane shared a smile as he hung up. They looked over at the burial site and noticed that the other agents were already cleaning the scene up and removing the empty coffin.

Vacher stepped over to them and asked, "News on Brandt?"

Ethan nodded. "Benji said he's getting better still and that he was awake for a brief moment."

Vacher grinned and nodded, his own relief evident. "I'll finish things up here if you two want to head back now."

"Thanks man," Ethan slapped him on the shoulder as he passed and Jane gave him a grateful smile.

"I'm glad this is finally over," Jane commented as they pulled away from the cemetery.

"So am I. This has to be the worst mission to date." Ethan shook his head. "And it wasn't even a threat from the enemy this time…"

"I know…" Jane muttered.

MISSIONIMPOSSIBLEGHOSTPROTOCOL

"Why did she open the door?" Brandt asked in annoyance.

Ethan chuckled. "Curiosity killed the cat?"

"This isn't even a horror flick; it's a stupid-girl-doesn't-even-have-the-basics-of-surviv al-and-gets-her-ass-killed-before-opening-credits flick."

Benji frowned at Brandt without taking his eyes off the screen. "SHH!"

Brandt raised his brows at the tech as Benji shoved popcorn into his mouth. When the stupid girl- as Brandt dubbed her- ran into a room and slammed the door shut, the team went quiet as they watched her cautiously step towards the door with terrified steps.

Suddenly there was a knock on their door and Benji jumped, sending popcorn flying.

Director Massey stepped into the hospital room to witness Brandt, Ethan, and Jane laughing at Benji's misfortune. When they saw their guest they all went silent. Massey glanced at each occupant before setting his gaze upon Brandt.

"If you three could give us a moment, please," the director said.

"No," Ethan said immediately, shaking his head. The director gave him a warning look which Ethan ignored. "With all due respect, considering recent circumstances, I'm sure you understand why we wouldn't want our teammate left alone."

Brandt hid his grin from the director, but Benji and Jane, who were sitting on his other side, saw it.

The director sighed but nodded. Clearing his throat, Massey met Brandt's gaze and said, "I'm sorry. I know that probably doesn't mean much after everything that happened, but I am."

Brandt wasn't sure how to respond. It wasn't an easy apology to accept, and yet he knew that the agency only did what they felt they had to do. So, he wordlessly nodded in acknowledgment.

The director's shoulders seemed to relax a bit and he took a deep breath. "Well, seeing as your previous vacations were interrupted and you saved I.M.F, recovered the stolen archives, and caught a dangerous man, the four of you have been granted a… _extended_ vacation."

"Extended for…?" Benji pushed.

Massey replied, "Six months."

Benji made to yell out in excitement but kept it in last second, settling for a wide grin. Ethan and Jane shared satisfied smirks while Brandt smiled at his team.

"Thank you, director," Ethan said, somehow making it sound like a dismissal.

The director threw him a mild glare in good humor before nodding to everyone and leaving.

"SIX months! Six! That's half a year! This is awesome!" Benji exclaimed, throwing his hands up in victory. Then he caught sight of Brandt's amused look and sobered. "Not that I'm happy you got hurt…" he said miserably.

"Hey! I'm alright. I really am," Brandt insisted. "We all know how bad it could have been…" He eyed them all and they had to agree.

Everyone looked to each other in reassurance that this whole ordeal was over. It started with Benji's lopsided grin and pretty soon they were all grinning and chuckling.

"After this, I think we ought to have a bonding camping trip!" Benji said.

Jane laughed. "Camping? You're still on that?" Benji nodded enthusiastically. "Can you imagine the four of us trapped with each other for that long? We would kill each other before it was over!"

Benji frowned as Brandt and Ethan laughed.

"Well, I think Benji's onto something there," Ethan said, knowing that the companionship would do them all some good after nearly losing one of their own. "I say we take at least two weeks and do something as a team."

"I'm in!" Benji yelled, throwing his hand up in the air. He glanced in excitement at Jane and then Brandt. Brandt shared an amused smirk with Jane.

"I think I can deal with you lot for a couple of weeks," Brandt said.

Jane laughed. "If you can, then I suppose I can…"

"YES!" Benji rubbed his hands together. "Now all we need is location and an itinerary. Any suggestions?"

"Seattle…" Ethan smiled, thinking of his wife.

"A lake," Brandt said.

"Mountains," Jane grinned.

"Ooh, I think that's all fairly easy to acquire." Benji suddenly had a laptop sitting on his lap and he was typing away on it. "How about a road trip to Washington? We can camp at Lake Cushman- it's about forty miles from Seattle. It's got the lake and the mountains. And, best of all, a house to rent!"

Brandt snorted. "Then that's not camping…"

Benji frowned at him. "Camping doesn't mean you have to rough it."

"You're not much of a wilderness guy, are you?" Brandt asked.

"I don't mind the wilderness. I just prefer a comfy bed and stable walls surrounding me."

"Nah, he doesn't want to risk mice cozying up to him at night," Ethan remarked.

Brandt and Jane snickered while Benji glared at Ethan. "Hardy har har."

"I said I was sorry for that!" Ethan said. "Anyways, I guess that's our plan? Two week camping trip at Lake Cushman?"

The other three agreed and Ethan gave Benji the go ahead to reserve a house for them. "But no road trip, Benji…"

"Aw…" Benji gave a small whine.

Brandt leaned back into his pillows and realized that the movie was still playing. They had forgotten about it with the director's visit and then their vacation plans. He grinned and watched his teammates. He figured if he could survive being kidnapped, hunted by his own agency, and then nearly executed by the same agency, then he could survive two weeks of camping with his team.

* * *

-Soooo... I did quite a bit of research on lethal injections- the drugs themselves specifically- to figure out how I could put Brandt through it but still survive and hopefully I got it. If you don't think that it's possible to survive the drugs, I'd like to point out that the drugs are three separate injections: sedative, respiratory failure, and then one that stops the heart itself. There are also two step ones, but I chose the three. And, after research, I figured that Brandt could survive the second injection. That's my logic and deduction, sorry if it's not accurate. This is a fanfiction, in any case. ;P Now, I read that most, if not all, execution chambers have a separate room to do the actual injection, but for the purpose of my story- and since this IS a secret government agency that would work differently- it would all be in the same room.

-Also, the code names at the end. I used Brandt's from their first mission together (the movie) as homage since this was centered around him and then used the moons of Saturn for the others' code names, also being the names of the Titans. I'm actually proud of that little cleverness of mine, and amazed that it worked out so well.

-I hope you all enjoyed this last chapter, and thanks again for all the views, alerts, favorites, and reviews!


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